There are a variety of elevator car assignment strategies for accommodating passenger requests for service. Most approaches are based upon minimizing the amount of wait time that a passenger spends in a lobby before the elevator car arrives to allow the passenger to board the elevator car. The amount of time a passenger waits to board an elevator car is typically regarded as an important measure of passenger satisfaction. For example, a passenger typically regards a long wait time for the arrival of an elevator car to be annoying.
Other elevator car assignment strategies focus on performance of the elevator system to minimize the distance that a car travels or the amount of energy required for elevator system operation, for example.
The variety of considerations that have an influence on elevator system operations and elevator passenger satisfaction can present challenges for deciding how to assign elevator cars to provide service to passengers.